Torres Strait was an awesome island that Moodzie visited recently, Moodzie personally loved the island and the overall experience, and thus will share some interesting facts about the island, while also giving out some useful tips on what one can do if visiting the island of Torres Strait. The people of Torres Strait are native islanders for the most part, as the island itself is located between Papua New Guinea and Australia, and the people hence are indigenous of Melanesian background. Seafood, shellfish, fruits, and veggies are an integral part of daily diet for the islanders of Torres Strait, Moodzie personally enjoyed their unique culture and food. The people of the island are somewhat in a way similar to surfers, as they live by and across the waves of the ocean, and love life by the sea, and cannot imagine without the shore. A tip my Moodzie would be to surely go to the island visit the Torres Strait museum. The Torres Strait’s military history is relatively unknown to most, however it was quite an important strategic location in World War II. The Japanese identified Horn Island as a launching base for aircraft and it was the first place in Queensland to be attacked during the war.
Over the course of the war, around 500 bombs were dropped on the island, making it the second-most attacked location in Australia. Moodzie has also found very scenic forts and areas within the Torres Strait islands. One of the most popular ways to end a day up here in the Torres Strait is with sunset drinks and nibbles at the Green Hill Fort.
With spectacular views over Horn, Prince of Wales, Hammond, Goods and Friday Islands, locals flock here to unwind and catch up with friends. Many people from both Australia and New Zealand tour the island of Torres Strait and explore its beautiful beaches, Moodzie personally has seen many move to the islands, as like the locals many have seemed to fall in love with live across the shore, and living by the wave. The simplicity, healthy diet, strong sense of culture and belonging are all things that have attracted Moodzie to the Torres Strait islands, Moodzie would recommend people to go out and visit the islands, for the reasons stated.
Moodzie had the opportunity to live in the Torres Strait for 3 years. It was the most awesome experience. Here are more great facts about this incredible place:
Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait. The Torres Strait is located between Papua New Guinea and the very top of Australia.
These seafaring people, of Melanesian background, traditionally hunted and gathered. Dugong, turtle, crayfish, shellfish and wild fruits and vegetables are an important part of their diet and particularly during traditional ceremonies and celebrations.
Hunting for turtle and dugong is only permitted for traditional purposes.
Weaving is a vital part of island life. A variety of baskets, trays, mats, decorative items and serving dishes are woven by women from coconut or pandanus leaves. Many daily activities take place on woven mats. Traditional food preparation, story telling, hair dressing and dancing all strengthen traditional bonds. Celebrations such as weddings and tombstone unveiling ceremonies are great occasions where the community come together to a big feast. A kapmauri, a big underground oven is constructed by the men who cook the vegetables, meat and fish prepared by the women. All join in the traditional dancing and singing, accompanied by long wooden drums. These are wonderful occasions, with men, women and children all singing and dancing together.
Each island community has its own techniques, methods, story telling and dreamtime stories. This guides them to design headdresses, costumes and the spiritual messages presented in their eye-catching performances.
Women wear bright colored island dresses with colorful prints and grass skirts. As well as adorning themselves with tropical flowers, they wear carved hair combs and decorative necklaces made of shells and seeds from the island environment. The women will often be involved in the singing, dancing and tapping of drums during performances.
Traditional costumes are an important aspect of cultural celebrations.The dhoeri (Central and western islands language name) or dhari (Eastern islands language name) is the traditional headdress worn by islander men for certain occasions and dances. Headdresses vary from island to island. Traditionally, they were made out of feathers from the Frigate bird and Torres Strait Pigeon. However, now they are created from a wide range of materials including plywood, chicken feathers, cane and cardboard.
Men also wear woven grass skirts over a colored fabric skirt. Traditionally men don’t wear shirts, but for modestly purposes, they now wear a white singlet. Woven bands, sometimes adorned with feathers, are worn on the forehead, arms, wrists and ankles. War paint is often added to the face and body to show the men as warriors in battle. Drums, spears, bow and arrows and fishing instruments are used in their performances to share their messages and stories. Drums used in dancing are carved out of wood and then covered with stretched skin from sharks, eels, snakes or goannas.
10 things you may not know about the Torres Strait Islands
1. The Torres Strait Islands are made up of 18 inhabited islands, around 100 uninhabited islands and two mainland communities located off the northern tip of Australia. The Torres Strait Islands had a population of 4,248 in the 2011 Census. 2.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures – Queensland Museum
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Queensland
Torres Strait Islander culture
The Torres Strait is named after a Spanish navigator and captain, Luís Vaz de Torres, who was the first European to sail through Torres Strait in 1606 on his way to Manila in the Philippines. It is the waterway separating far northern Australia (Cape York Peninsula) and New Guinea.
